Kerber joins chase for elusive title in Dubai
dubai — Angelique Kerber will be hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships later this month, after she reached the semifinals in both 2017 and 2018 before running up against eventual champion Elina Svitolina. But the former world No. 1 has so often been a player for the big occasion, and she will fear no-one as she attempts to add another title to her growing collection.
She enjoyed an excellent 2018 which saw her add trophies from both Sydney and Wimbledon, and she made a comfortable start to 2019 by reaching the quarterfinals in Sydney.
Her Wimbledon triumph last year saw her claim a third Grand Slam title in three years, a period that also saw her reach a further final, a semifinal and a quarterfinal at other Grand Slam events. Now she is greatly looking forward to her eighth trip to Dubai.
“I like to play in Dubai,” said Kerber, who is naturally righthanded but plays with her left. “I like the weather. It’s always nice. Yeah, it’s sunny. You have the hotel on-site. I think I just try to really enjoy my stay here every year.”
Her success saw her chosen as the WTA Player of the Year in 2016 and be nominated again in 2018, she was voted German Sportswoman of the Year in both 2016 and 2018, she received the ITF World Champion award in 2016, the same year she was nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year, and in 2017 she was the world’s second highest-paid female athlete according to Forbes.
“Angelique Kerber is often overlooked as one of the best players on the WTA Tour, although her record in Grand Slams in particular over the past few years is second to none,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free.
“She is only one tournament away from claiming a career Grand Slam, something that is rarely achieved and then only by the very best. We look forward to seeing how she does both here and in the future and wish her every success.”
Tournament Director Salah Tahlak added, “Angelique Kerber is clearly a very special talent, having won Grand Slam titles at the Australian and US Opens and Wimbledon. She has also won titles on the WTA Tour on clay, which suggests that the French Open is also within her grasp. So too is the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she has performed so well in the last two years. It will be very interesting to see how she does later this month.”